Knitting machine



Feb. 21, 1933. s. A. WELCH ET AL 1,

KNITTING MACHINE Filed June 3, 1930 SIDNEY A. WELCH ALBERT F. GUYLER :roun TVASHBY i WILUAM HBDALER INYENTDHS jwm/w ATTORNZYS Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIDNEY. ARTHUR WELCH, ALBERT FAIRHOLME GUYLER, JOHN THOMAS ASHBY, AND WILLIAM HENRY BOALER, OF SPONDON NEAR DERBY, ENG-MIND, ASSIGNORS TO CELA NESE CORPORATION OF AMERICA, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE KNITTING MACHINE Application filed June 3, 1930, Serial No. 459,082, and. in Great Britain July 17, 1929.

This invention relates to knitting machines, and more particularly to improvements in feeding devices for use in connection with warp knitting machines.

It is customary in such machines to take the warp threads in their passage from the warp beam or other source of supply, for example the creel described in United States application S. No. 433,084 filed 4th March, 1930, to the thread guides and needles over a tension bar which comprises a bar carried by arms pivotally mounted to allow the bar to oscillate under variations in the tension of the warp threads. The movement of the bar is used to control a positive feed device which delivers the threads to a point of use, for example the bar is connected to a clutch through which is driven the warp beam or one of a pair of feed rollers or intermeshing feed gears between which the warp threads pass on their way to the needles.

It is found, however, that the feedin of the thread in this manner does not sync ronize with the taking up of the thread during each knitting course, variations in the tension of the thread thus being introduced. It is an object of the present invention so to time the operation of the thread feeding means that the thread is delivered in the exact quantity required by the needles and under substantially uniform tension throughout each knitting course.

the machine.

According to'the invention, the feed of the threads is controlled as heretofore by the movements of the tension hair under the variations of tension in the threads, and an additional control is provided to render the tension bar control effective at any desired point of the knitting cycle. In this way, feeding of the threads may be caused to take place exactly in accordance with the requirements of For example, the feeding may be confined to that part of the cycle during which the threads are being lapped over the needles by the thread guides, while feeding of the threads, owing to an increase of tension in other parts of the cycle. as when the needles descend near the end of the cycle, may be prevented.

Various methods may be adopted for super posing this further control on the tension bar control. Thus, the additional control may be caused to nullify or to vary the transmission of the movement of the tension bar to the normal control gear for the feed device, or the additional control may itself control the driving of the feed device so that unless both controls are operative no thread is delivered by the feed device.

For example, a lever, connected to the clutch of the feed device, and operated by movement of the tension bar, may be pivoted about a point that is caused to move by the additional control means during the knitting cycle, to render the movement of the pivoted lever operative to bring the clutch into action at the desired point of the cycle. Or again, the tension bar may be connected to the clutch by a link consisting of two parts, pivoted to each other, and to a link connected to the additional controlling means, movement of this link causing the first link to be either broken or straightened, to control the operation of the clutch. A further method consists in driving the feed device through two clutches, one controlled by the tension bar, and the other by the additional controlling means, so that feed only takes place when both clutches are in action.

The duration of the additional control is, of course, such as to allow feeding to take place until the desired amount of thread has been delivered to the needles, and the gension has been relaxed upon the tension Three forms of additional controlling means are described in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawing but it is to be understood that the following description is given by way of example only, and is in no way limitative. 1 v

Figure 1 is an end view of a knitting machine fitted with mechanism according to the invention.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are diagrammatic views showing the operation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 shows a second form of mechanism and Fig. 6 a third form.

Referring to Fig. 1, the threads 9 pass ,over

a tension bar 10, which is operatively connected to a lever 11, whose free end is provided with a pin or spindle 12 working in a fork 13 in one end of a lever 1 1, whose other end is connected to the operating arm 15 of a clutch 16, through which feed rollers 17 are driven in the usual manner. The thread 9 passes from the bar 10, to the needles 18, which are mounted on a three-armed lever 19 operated by a cam 20, which works against a bowl 521 on the lever 19, and is adapted to operate the needles so as to effect knitting. The arm 22 of the lever 19 is connected to a pivot point 23 on the arm 14 by means of a link 24.

In Fig. 2, the tension bar 10 is shown in its non-feeding position. \Vhen, towards the close of the knitting cycle the needles 18 are lowered by the action of the cam 20, the threads are drawn into tension, and the tension bar 10 is drawn down. The motion of the tension bar pivots the lever 14 about the point 23 in such a manner as would operate the clutch 16, and cause the thread to be fed. The cam 20 however, operates to raise the point 23, so that the lever 14 is unable to operate the clutch, as shown in Fig. 3. The threads still remain in tension while the needles are being raised and during this period the point 23 is lowered to allow the arm 14 to operate the clutch 16, so that threads are fed. The resulting position of the members is shown in Fig. 4.

Feeding takes place until the relaxation of the tension in the threads allows the tension bar 10 to move to its inoperative position, so as to disengage the clutch 16.

As shown in Fig. 1, the cam 20, which operates the needles,. serves as the additional controlling means, the synchronous operation of the needles and the controlling means affording a convenient arrangement for the correct feeding of the threads. Non-synchronous operation may be effected while using the one cam 20 by using a separate bowl having a different point of engagement with the cam 20. An independent cam may, however, be used for the control of the thread feed.

A second set of warp threads passes over the tension bar 10 and is fed by rollers 17 under control of a clutch 16. This clutch is controlled by the bar 10, and by additional controlling means similar to those used for the first set of warps. These means, being in all respects similar to those illustrated for the first set, are omitted from the drawing for the sake of clearness. The feeding rollers 17, 17 are driven by the chain 25.

In a further embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 5, the tension bar 10 is positively connected to the feed device clutch 16 by a link 26, and the clutch 16 is driven from an auxiliary clutch 27. the operating arm 28 of which is adapted to be operated by means of the cam 20. The operating arm 28 of the auxiliary clutch is connected by a link 29 to a lever 220 actuated by the cam 20 operating upon the bowl 210. By this means the feed device can only be driven, even though its clutch 16 has been engaged by a movement of the tension bar when the auxiliary clutch 27 is also rendered operative by means of the cam 20. The feeding of the thread by the feed device can thus be timed to take place during any desired part of the knitting cycle.

In the form of mechanism shown in Fig. 6, the tension bar 10 is similarly operatively connected to a lever 110 which is in turn connected by a link 30, 31, to the clutch operating arm. The link consists of two parts 30, 31, pivoted together, and from the pivot point 32 depends a link 33 which is raised and lowered during the knitting cycle by means of the cam 20 and the lever 22, in a manner similar to that described with reference to Fig. l. Lowering of the cam-operated link 33 causes the link 30, 31 connecting the tension bar to the clutch to be broken or shortened, and this, in conjunction with the lowering of the tension bar 10 will operate the clutch 16. When however the lift of the cam 20 raises. the depending link 33, the broken link 30, 31 is caused to straighten, thereby preventing the movement of the tension bar 10 from engaging the clutch 16.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. Thread feeding apparatus for warp knitting machines comprising thread feeding means, rotatable means adapted to drive the said feeding means, a clutch interposed between said feeding means and driving means, a tension bar adapted to engage said clutch under increase of tension in the threads passing over said bar so as to control the drive of the feeding means and additional control means adapted to render said clutch operative at a selected point in the knitting cycle to complete the drive to said feeding means under the control of the tension bar.

2. Thread feeding apparatus for warp knitting machines, comprising thread feeding means, rotatable means adapted to drive the said feeding means, a clutch interposed between said feeding means and driving means, a tension bar adapted to engage said clutch imder increase of tension in the threads passing over said bar so as to control the drive of the feeding means, and additional control means adapted to render the clutch operative to complete the drive to said feeding means under the control of the tension bar while the threads are being lapped over the needles.

3. Thread feeding apparatus for warp knitting machines, comprising thread feeding means rotatable means adapted to drive the said feeding means, a clutch interposed between said feeding means and driving means, a tension bar adapted to engage said clutch under increase of tension in the threads passing over said bar so as to control the drive of the feeding means, additional control means adapted to render the clutch operative to complete the drive to said feeding means under control of the tension bar, and a cam rotating once in each knitting cycle to operate said additional control means.

4. Thread feeding apparatus for warp knitting machines, comprising a needle-operating cam, thread feeding means, rotatable means adapted to drive the said feeding means, a clutch interposed between said feeding means and driving means, a tension bar adapted to engage said clutch under increase of tension in the threads passing over said bar so as to control the drive of the feeding means, and additional control means operated by said needle-operating cam and adapted to render the clutch operative at a selected point in the knitting cycle to complete the drive to said feeding means under the control of the tension bar.

5. Thread feeding apparatus for warp knitting machines, comprising a needle-operating cam, thread feeding means, rotatable means adapted to drive the said feeding means, a clutch interposed between said feeding means and driving means, a tension bar adapted to engage said clutch under increase'of tension in the threads passing over said bar so as to control the drive of the feeding means, and

, additional control means operated by said needle-operating cam adapted to render said clutch operative to complete the drive to said feeding means under the control of the tension bar while the threads are being lapped over the needles.

6. Thread feeding apparatus for Warp knitting machines comprising thread feeding means, rotatable means adapted to drive said feeding means, aclutch interposed between said feeding means and said driving means, a tension bar adapted to engage said clutch under increase in the tension of the threads passing over said bar so as to control the drive of the feeding means and additional control means comprising a further clutch in series with the first and means to engage said second clutch at a selected point in the knitting cycle so as to complete the drive to said feeding means through the first clutch under the control of the tension 7. Thread feeding apparatus for warp knitting machines, comprising thread feeding means, constantly rotating means adapted to drive said feeding means, a clutch interposed between said feeding and driving means, a tension bar for the threads, a rod pivoted at a mid-point and adapted to engage said clutch at one end, and said tension bar at its other end and to operate said clutch upon increase in tension of the threads passing' over said bar, and additional control means adapted to move the pivot point of said rod at a selected point in the knitting cycle to a point renderlng the tension bar opera,- tive to control the clutch so. as to feed the threads.

8. Thread feeding apparatus for war knitting ,machines, comprising thread fee ing means, constantly rotating means adapted to drive said feeding means, a clutch 1nterposed between said feeding and drivin means, a tension bar for the threads, 9. r0 jointed at a point along its length, and adapted to connect said clutch to the tension bar so as to operate the said clutch by tension in said jointed rod when the tension bar moves under increase in tension of the threads passing over said bar, and additional control means engagin the joint of the said rod to diminish the efiective length of the rod at a selected point in the knittin cycle so as to render operative the thread ceding means controlled b the tension bar.

In testimony w ereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

SIDNEY ARTHUR WELCH.

ALBERT FAIRHOLME GUYLER.

JOHN THOMAS ASHBY.

WILLIAM HENRY BOALER. 

